1 in 4 use crime to fund drugs in Lothians

ONE in four people who contacted health services for help with a drug problem in the Lothians said they funded their habit through crime, new figures have shown.

Among 1747 people surveyed in the Lothians, 26 per cent said criminal activities allowed them to pay for drugs, with only 12 per cent citing a job as their source of cash for illegal substances.

The ISD Scotland study also showed that 67 per cent of those seeking help for drug misuse paid for their habit through benefits.

Another 17 per cent said they paid for drugs through "debt", with seven per cent using borrowing, and two per cent gaining funds through "sex work".

Each individual was allowed to cite more than one source of funding for their addiction.

The proportion of criminals seeking help for drug misuse was higher in the Lothians than for any other Scottish region. In Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the figure was 19 per cent, while it was 21 per cent in Grampian.

The figure for Edinburgh was also the highest among council areas, with 32 per cent of people seeking help stating that crime paid for their addiction.

In East Lothian, the figure was 19 per cent. In West Lothian, 13 per cent reported crime as a source of income for drugs and 30 per cent in Midlothian.